The Cask of Amontillado: For Her
by BlossomCherryTree
Summary: This is my all time favorite story by Edgar Allen Poe and we got to read it in class. So after reading it again, I got a random idea of an "after party" after everything happened in the story.


I wasn't one for parties. Or really any social event at all. I dreaded going to the carnival and now he has forced me to go to his little party, which is where everyone was this evening. For what reason? No one has a clue, but he is celebrating something that made him burst with joy. It was nauseating to see all this joy and happiness in one room.

I'd never been a girl for gatherings or banquets or anything fancy. As a child it made me feel unwanted, as I was, to not be invited to such events, now I know I was lucky to never be invited to one or even go if I had the chance. So now I avoid them whenever I could.

I was the only one wearing something dark. I completed my skin and that dark expression on my face. A friend was trying to convince me to wear a tea gown. She picked it out as an insult, I'm sure of it. It was a faded green with pink accents all over. I had to made my own dress and I know I will never wear it another time.

A black lace and silk evening gown that had the length of a trumpet dress and had a small slit on the left leg, showing off my dark stockings and my red heels with fake diamonds on the top edge. The silk was the first fitted layer and the second was a loose silk that flowed with my movement. The neck was open and the neckline was on the shoulders.

A thin lace choker that covered most of my neck and had two chains dangling from the middle with little crystal tear drops at the end. My nails long as always. My makeup included dark eyeliner and grey and black glittery eye-shadow. My lips had a thin seal to make them look brighter and naturel.

My hair hung down and fluffy as it always did, I didn't even bother braiding it. But I still looked okay with how I was dressed and it seemed so calm and now fluffy or curling outwards like it will. I looked different, was my point. everyones in ball gowns, bright colors, pink, blue, orange, green, red, yellow, white. I don't remember him being this way, liking all this color and all. Maybe I'm just think that because I want someone to be like me, just a little at least.

People laughed and danced with one another. Everyone so happy, bright and smiling, it seemed to never go out. Girls hairs curled perfectly as a man dressed perfectly neat would twirl her around and her dress would sway with her and made it look like it was dream come true, just like cinderella.

I was tired of sitting back here, drinking wine alone, looking out of place. So after another servant came out of the kitchen with a full tray, I slipped in. I won't be missed anyways. There was no one around and it was a bit quieter than I thought. Food was still on the counters and tables, waiting to be taken out.

It all looked so delicious and alluring. I was reaching, but I stopped myself. "You're already big enough as it is." I pull back. Some religions, not that I believe in any, say that it is a reward of patients and good health. Others is to be lucky to have food, just don't eat it, or something like that. But then I thought for a while. No book said anything about it, but what if I went for a day without eating, then ate for two days, lightly of course, then skipped days?

I would not be eating so much and I won't get any bigger, maybe I might go down! And thats good enough for me. Trust me, I'm not like the other girls who can have others wrap their hands easily around their wrists, slowing off their weight. I could get my fingers to touch when I do that. I have more curves than other women, but its harder to find clothing and men that fancy a woman who looks bigger.

I stood there, closing my eyes, trying to relax myself. Just a few more hours, I thought. You can do it! I thought. Just then, the door opened and in came the sounds of glass clinking together and laughs and many voices mixing into one, talking all over. Then the noise was shut out by the door. Who ever was here did not move or say a word. It was probably just a servant whom come to kick me out after being told by a guest I was in here.

"What are you doing in here?" The man asks. He walked over to me, and I refused to look at his face.

"I was just… Leaving." I stand back up as tall as I could and turned to who was there. It was only the host of this party.

"Leaving so soon?" He tilts his head the slightest bit with a grin.

"A bit tired…" I look into my goblet. "Would you like some assistance?" He asks. "Or you could just stay the night here." He looks down on my small size.

"You don't want me here, Montressor." I sigh. "But I would like to be on my way, alone." I take a few steps past him.

"What is the matter?" He asks sweetly from behind. "I don't…" I started to say, but the words would not come.

"You don't like parties, do you?" He stiffens up. "You knew that." I hesitated to look over my shoulder.

"Yes, I did. But I like your company." He walks near again. "And all these other people I suppose." I give a fake grin.

"No, I really just wanted you here, this is already getting the best of me." He chuckles. "Why do you like me so much?" I finally ask after these past two years.

"You may not show it but, you have pride. You are intelligent. I like that about you the most." He looks at the sleeve of his left arm, fixing it lightly and scanning for other flaws.

"Why are you so happy?" I turn to him. "Me? Oh, just something I did, I feel good about it." He grins.

"What did you do?" I ask, leaning towards him a little. "Oh, nothing too important of course." He scans the room for anything he could fix or grab.

"You aren't usually this happy." I look down. "Really? Others could say different." He paced a few feet away. "Other women?" I smirk. "Yes." He looks over his shoulder at me.

"Is that what this is?" I ask. "Just looking for a suitable wife?" I point towards the door. "Well you can count me out! I wouldn't marry a man who can't even tell me why he is having a party." I look away.

"Would you really like to know?" He asks, turning to me. "Yes, it would be nice to know if I have wasted my time or not." I exhale my long breath.

"I suppose a few minutes to slip away would not hurt any." He looks through the crack of the door to where the party was held.

"Come now." He walks away. I followed him down a dark hall until we meant the end where five doors stud. He entered the second left one and grabbed a large torch. "Its a bit dangerous." He holds out his hand with a grin. I give a grin back, grab a torch for myself and walk past him.

We walked down a long stairwell and entered the beginning of the first tunel. It was a bit narrow for myself, but big enough for many people to walk together through. "Maybe I should have asked where you are taking me..." I look at the shape of the walls. "Dear, its just a little trip." He looks back at me with a smirk.

"What did you just call me?" I ask in a low tone. After another tunnel, we came into a much larger area. It was a bit hard to see as the light was still creeping in. I look over my shoulder at him. It was a slight glance. I found him staring at me, a devious grin across his lips and he examines my body.

I look away and back at the room we were entering. I then scream loudly and drop my torch into a puddle, making it go out. The room darkened quickly and Montresor didn't say a word. I stayed still, to afraid to run. An arm was wrapped around my torso, and the light came back.

I put my hands over my face to look away from the piles and piles and piles of bones. Some were going up the wall and others were in a special form and others seemed to be thrown into the pile awaiting purpose. "I'm going to be sick, Montressor!" I kept my eyes covered. "It's alright, we are still under the palazzo." He explains.

"You crazy bastard! Why are we down here!?" I ask. He then guides me blinded past the bones and into another tomb. The bones seemed less scary as we stood in the corner of the room. I had to stop and look away from it all and take deep breaths. "What is this?" I ask, hands still over my face, hunched over facing away from him.

He didn't say anything. I leaned against the wall, placing my hand over my heart, breathing deeply. He then got to close. I look up at him as he comes in even closer. I didn't push him away or say a word. I let his lips touch mine, taking my lips with his. I did pull back after a few seconds. He then went on kissing my neck.

"Damn dress." I mumble to the easy access to my body.

"I killed a man." He looks back into my eyes, holding my shoulders tightly. "What?" I look up with shock in my eyes.

"Remember Fortunato?" He asks. I shake my head quickly.

"The man that flirted with you at the carnival a few days ago?" He tries to explain. I then slowly nod. "The man with a wife?" He adds in. I nod quickly.

"Well don't remember him." He says firmly.

"I bragging to myself by throwing a party, yet I feel... Strange on the inside!" He walks away. "Regret?' I speak up. He looks back at me, a look that sent a shiver up my spine and caused me to back up against the wall as if he were to kill me next. "Regret…" He looks down into his empty hand.

"Where is his body? What happened?" I move from the wall.

He looks back at me then turns towards me. "I lead him down here… I misleaded him by giving him wine and worrying about him, as if he could not take it, it made him want to go deeper. I told him I had a cask of Amontillado. He was already drunk and followed."

He went on. "I trapped him in an opening in the wall farther down that way." He points with the torch. "And chained him to the wall and stoned it up…" He looks at the nite hanging from the walls.

"You tricked your friend by saying you had a cask of Amontillado and chained him up and stoned him in?!" I take a step closer. "I do have it though." He looks up at me.

"What?" I ask. "I have the Amontillado." He grins. "You're insane." I walk backwards. "He did some many wrong doings to me, I had to! I wish I could prove this!" He pleads.

"You were jealous?" I look in horror. "Only when I found out!" He takes a few steps towards me. "Only when he was… Using his charm on you well at the carnival…" He stops a few feet away.

"So you killed him?!" I yell. "That was what made me the most anger! There was many other reasons, I would have done it evently!" He protests.

I was cowering in the corner by then, trying to back away from him. He stops coming towards me, relaxes himself and says, "I love you."

It was so quiet. When it was quiet, was it always this way? Have I just noticed it until now? Or was it just my body sweating in this dress, tensing, my mind racing. I could barely think. It was like I was thinking outside of my body, my head was just full of thoughts clashing together. A murder loves me. If I reject him, he will kill me as well.

"I will be back, stay right here." He points to the ground. He then walks down into the vault farther. The room darkened. After a few minutes, my eyes still could not see, but I could hear everything and feel everything. Why would he leave me here in the dark?! I stood up and extended my hand out in front of me. The first few feet were successful, until I tripped over a bump and fell face first into the pile of bones.

I quickly got up when I heard the strange noise of the bones hitting each other. I repeated this cycle over and over. I would walk a few feet, then fall in a pile of bones and get back up and do it all again. After 15 minutes, my foot hit a single bone that was standing up.

Right after, a creaking sound started and dust started to cloud the air. I kept walking, a little faster, trying to avoid falling over. After a few more feet, the sound of three piles of bones hit the ground, crashing and spilling everywhere. I must have knocked down one of the organized structures.

I was able to find the narrow tunnel and go down it quicker than before. I smiled and laughed to myself as I felt the cold metal railing of the staircase. I ran up, holding the rail and burst through the door without using the knob. It opened wide for me and I ran right into the door across from it.

It was a weaponry. I must have blacked out because when I awoke, a huge net was over me and I could hear someone coming up those stairs and a torchlight creeping in on the floor. I kicked the door closed with my foot lightly. I backed up against the wall and held my breath.

The door opened and a figure looked in vaguely. Then they closed it and went walking down the hall. I sat up, tearing the net off. I quickly walked down the hall and back into the kitchen. The light burned my eyes and I had to shield them as I came in.

After my eyes got used to everything around me, I looked through the door to where the party was. People were starting to leave and Montresor was already there, closing the door as a couple had left. He was smiling to himself as the door had shut. I slipped in and in that moment, I wanted a drink badly. Montresor spotted me and walked in my direction.

As I thought he was near, he stopped to talk to a girl about my age wearing a pink ball gown and had her blond hair in perfect curls. Her eyes were bright blue and her lips a glossy pink and hair skin. She looked so happy and pleasant. As he was talking to her, he looked over at me. His grin did not fade or anything.

He placed a hand on the girls arm, making her smile even more. They walked their separate ways, his being to me. "You did not wait." He looks down at me with a grin. I didn't say a word. "Are you mad?" He asks. I look down and away. "I knew you were not." He smiles. I kept my eyes down.

"You will like this." He grins and turns away. He went into the kitchen and brought back to goblets that were jewel encrusted. He handed one to me and I thanked him under my breath. He then raised his glass to the perfect level for me to raise mine. "To our love," He says lightly with a grin. I was hesitant to raise it, but my brain forced my arm to do so.

When I put my hand back down to where my arm rested, he insisted I drink it and do it now. I did it anyways, and I looked amazed at what had just hit my lips. "Isn't wonderful?" He grins.

"Is this the-?" "The Amontillado, yes." He keeps his grin.

"I'm sorry…" He looks down at me, his grin disappearing.

"Of what?" I ask and go on drinking.

"Of what I did…" He looks off to the side for a moment.

"Yes, well…" I look into the goblet and spin it lightly. "Are you going to tell now?" He asks.

I had to think about that. My head was screaming yes. But this loud pounding in my chest was hinting towards no. Loud pounding, I thought and placed my hand over it to feel its beat. Loud pounding.

"I thought you did not like Italians…" I ask as he smiles at me again.

"I love you and I don't care what race or culture you come from." He reaches his hand for my hand.

"And I am Italian." He takes another sip. "Yet you speak so poorly of us, your own kind." I snort.

"Well, I have traveled the world with my family, and my favorite culture is the french, if you could not tell." He grins.

"Really?" I ask. "Don't act surprised, you have known me for two years and you're not japanese." He points out.

"True, true…" I look down. "Very much." He agrees.

I give in and grin back to him. "I do like you, I really do, but I need to know why-" I tried to keep going, but the other girl was trying to call him over.

"Go." I point. He was about to say something, but I pushed him towards the girl. she grabbed his arm and pulled him into the lessing crowd.

I stood there, waiting patiently for his return, if he did. I then decided to walk around. And in the center of the room, where most where dancing, I saw him with that girl. She laughed and he was smiling, smiling and looking happier with her then he has with me ever.

I then stormed up to him, not realizing it until I was halfway to him from where I was. But then I found my courage and walked up to him and her. They stopped there smiling. I interrupted their almost kiss. "Lier," I say lowly, with a dark expression. "What?" The girl asks. "LIER!" I yell.

"You said you loved me"! I point to my chest. "Antonietta…" He says my name so lightly. He pulls away from the girl and tries to reach for me. I push away his hands. "Don't touch me!" I back away. "Antonietta, wait." He comes closer. "I knew you were a mistake. And to think," I started to laugh. "I almost thought I loved you too." I walked past him.

I stormed right out through the doors and stood alone in the dark, cool night. After crying on a bench a few feet away from the door, it opened again and the last guest was leaving. That girl. I heard her voice saying goodnight to Montressor and I saw her blond hair.

I was wiping my eyes when I saw her. She was alone. I arose from the bench and followed. She was taking off her white gloves and holding them in her hands. She then dropped her necklace while trying to walk and take it off. She dropped the gloves a few feet away and bent over to grab her necklace. I grabbed one of her gloves and as she gathered her things, she didn't notice.

The fastest way from Montresor's home was a short cut many new through the woods. I made sure I was far enough away from her and was careful about what I stepped on. She then drops a hairpiece she was wearing. She felt around in the leafs to try and find it.

That was when I stroke. I wrapped her long glove around her thin neck and pulled her back towards me. She tried to reach up and grab the glove, but it was tightly around her skin and the oxygen was draining from her energy. She then stopped trying and her arms fell to her sides.

I let go and she fell to the ground. She was still alive. So I reached under my dress and grabbed the knife from its holster. I got onto of her and repeatedly started to stab her. Slowly, with lots of force, I stabbed her shoulder first. I wanted her to wake up. I wanted her to see me. I wanted her to know who this was.

So I waited. After some time, of which I did not count, she opened her eyes. She tries to sit up, but I left the knife in her shoulder, all the way to through the dirt. She screamed out as much as she could. I get back on top of her, pull the knife out and stabbed her in the stomach. She started to bleed from the mouth.

A lamp a 20 feet away that the servants lit up made it visible for her to see my face. I went on stabbing her, blood splattered everywhere. I watched the light go from her eyes. Her screams stopped and so did her struggle. I got off of her and wiped the blood from my face. I spat down at her body.

I looked off around the path as far as the light would allow me. I then dragged her farther into the woods, way off the path. "I'd put you in the vault with the rest of them, but you're not worthy." I grin and I started to dig after taking my lace gloves off. It did not take as long as I thought. It was deep enough and I pushed her body in. I posed her so her eyes were still open, and her arms crossed over her chest.

I drop her gloves, one on and the other being held in her other hand. I also put her necklace back on.

"Riposare in pace. Ma spero che bruciare all'inferno. Spero che il vostro dio abbi pietà della tua anima*." I throw the dirt back in and cover it with leafs. Thunder boomed overhead as I found the path. I decided to go and see what Montresor was doing.

I walked back and walked right in. Montresor was talking to a servant of his. He saw me and the servant went back into the kitchen. "Blood!?" He runs over to me and looks to see if I was hurt.

"I did something bad…" I look down.

He stops his movement and breathing. "You…" He looks into my eyes.

"She was going to ruin it all…" I grin. "You killed." He stands up straight.

"For you." My grin fades. "Oh god! I'm just like you!" I point to his face and back up.

"Its all your fault!" I point.

He comes up to me and hugs me. "You finally understand! I did it out of love!" He smiles.

We married three months later. We told each other the murders and others secrets that we have never told anyone. We swore on our marriage that we would not tell a soul of our sins. And after 50 years he opened up the grave of Fortunado to show me a skeleton that hung from chains, a jester custom ripped upon it and its hat still there.

In return I dug up the grave of that girl. Her skeleton the same as Fortunato, her bloody glove still there. We filled them both back up And Fortunatos grave nor the girls was found in 300 years.

* * *

*Rest in peace. But I hope burn in hell. Hopefully your god have mercy on your soul.

(I needed it to be over dramatic!)


End file.
